Voices — A Glitch in the Matrix? YouTube (and Twitter?) Unblocked for Some

Netizens have been furiously tweeting and retweeting on Chinese microblogs about rumours that some have been able to access Youtube and possibly Twitter from inside China without having to scale the Great Firewall. Some netizens commented that they were able to access Youtube from inside the GFW simply by using “https” instead of “http” in their browser. Some of those who reported success noted however that they were still unable to view or upload videos to Youtube.

As of the publication of this piece, netizens are still reporting success with this maneuver. @咕咕蝈蝈果果 from Chongqing reported, “I no longer need to scale the wall!” @KiraT from Shanghai exhorted netizens, “Try it yourself! Thanks, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology!” Somewhere, a bureaucrat at the MIIT is not smiling.

The reports of Twitter being unblocked are much patchier. 肖老湿干了这杯妇炎洁 reports success with Youtube but not Twitter (or Facebook): “Is it a regional opening up of the network or a ‘bug’? I can get on Youtube!!! Facebook and Twitter still no go…” {{1}}[[1]]局域网开放还是bug啊？我能上youtube了！！！非死不可和推特不行••• [[1]] 陳細九_EASOnnnnnnnnnnn, who seemed to be able to access Twitter, wasn’t impressed, complaining: “Twitter is even more incomprehensible than Facebook. Lots of foreigners.”

PLL-KELLY, who could also apparently access YouTube but not Twitter, tweets excitedly on Sina Weibo, “I remember in junior high I could access YouTube and Facebook. They’ve been blocked for so many years; finally the block [on YouTube] has been lifted. Certain classless victors of history [a roundabout reference to the government] you don’t know how excited I am right now. YouTube is unblocked finally unblocked. Now I demand that Twitter and Facebook be unblocked as well!! Ah Westlife Ah Taeyang [a South Korean pop star]! Now I have really seen a Spring with hundreds of flowers blossoming! I doubt I can be happier even if I get a full score on my university entrance exams!” {{2}}[[2]]记得初中还能去油管和脸书，封了这么多年，终于解禁了。某没人品的历史的胜利者你知不知道我现在多激动。油管解禁了终于解禁了。现在求推特和脸书解禁！！Westlife啊Taeyang啊！现在真是看到了百花齐放的春天啊！让我高考考个满分我估计都没这么高兴啊靠！[[2]]

Some disappointed netizens still could not seem to access either service. sasha223 whines: “Who’s spreading the rumour that the walls around Youtube and Twitter are down? I clearly can’t get on either!!!”{{3}}[[3]]谁造的谣说油管跟推特墙塌了啊，明明还是都上不了!!![[3]] 杨歪歪Niko took the disappointment rather hard: “I really want to leave this stupid place with [no] Twitter, no Facebook and no Youtube ahhhhhhhhhhh” {{4}}[[4]]我真想离开这个推特没有脸书也没有youtube也没有的破地方啊啊啊 啊啊啊啊[[4]]